''Donkeyhead'' is a 2021 Canadian

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film written and directed by

Agam Darshi Agamdeep Darshi is an English-Canadian actress, now based in Los Angeles. Early life Born as Agamdeep Darshi in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, to parents of South Asian Punjabi (Indian) descent. At a very young age she and her family moved t ...

in her directorial debut. The plot follows Mona, a woman tasked with taking care of her father with the help of her three siblings after he is diagnosed with cancer and his health starts to deteriorate. The film premiered at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

, Ontario, on December 1, 2021. It was digitally released on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

on January 21, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Mona is a failed writer who carves out a life of isolation while caring for her ailing Sikh father. When he suffers a debilitating stroke, her three successful siblings show up on her doorstep determined to take control of the situation.

Cast

as Mona *

Stephen Lobo Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

* Sandy Sidhu *

Husein Madhavji Husein "Huse" Madhavji (pronounced Ma-dav-gee; born July 19) is a Canadian actor and television personality. He is best known for his role as Dr. Shahir Hamza on the medical drama ''Saving Hope'' and as the former face of Star! Canada’s Entertainm ...

Kim Coates Kim F. Coates (born February 21, 1958) is a Canadian–American actor who has worked in both Canadian and American films and television series. He has worked on Broadway portraying Stanley Kowalski in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and in the lead ...

* Marvin Ishmael *

Balinder Johal Balinder Johal is an Indo-Canadian actress."Monster-in-law, India style; Vancouver's Balinder Johal finds a well of astonishing villainy as a controlling matriarch in Deepa Mehta's Heaven on Earth". ''Vancouver Sun'', October 31, 2008. She is best k ...

Production

Filming began in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

, on January 18, 2021, on a $2 million budget. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the film's crew had to follow various safety measures and protocols, such as getting tested frequently for the virus, practicing social distancing, and wearing facemasks while on set. According to co-producer Kelly Balon, the pandemic resulted in an additional $50,000 in production costs. Filming concluded after a month on February 12, after shooting scenes in various locations around the city, including at the Fat Badger, Hotel Saskatchewan, several funeral homes, and an old house at Victoria Avenue. Marian Wihak was the film's production designer.

Release

The film premiered at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, on December 1, 2021. It was theatrically released in Canada by Level Film and digitally by Super Channel. In the United States, the film was released by

ARRAY An array is a systematic arrangement of similar objects, usually in rows and columns. Things called an array include: {{TOC right Music * In twelve-tone and serial composition, the presentation of simultaneous twelve-tone sets such that the ...

and

on January 21, 2022.

Reception

Writing for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'',

Carlos Aguilar Carlos Aguilar (born May 25, 1988) is an American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach at San Diego State University. Career College and amateur Carlos attended Palmdale High School played two years of college soccer at Taft Coll ...

praised Darshi's performance and compared it to

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

's role in ''

Rachel Getting Married ''Rachel Getting Married'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, and Debra Winger. The film premiered at the 65th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 200 ...

'' (2008). Beatrice Loayza from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' criticized the screenplay and called the lead character "a stereotypically troubled woman whose eventual awakening merits a shrug at most." Aparita Bhandari of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' said, "Even if Darshi hasn't written Mona from personal experience, she clearly knows the character intimately, and gives Mona a kind of stubborn vulnerability that's totally relatable." The film was shortlisted for Best Direction in a Feature Film at the 2022

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assistant ...

awards.Etan Vlessing
"DGC Awards: ‘Nightmare Alley,’ ‘Crimes of the Future,’ ‘Night Raiders’ Lead Nominees"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', September 23, 2022.

References

External links

* {{authority control 2021 films 2021 directorial debut films 2021 comedy-drama films Canadian comedy-drama films Canadian independent films Films about cancer Films about dysfunctional families Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Films shot in Saskatchewan Films about Indian Canadians 2020s English-language films 2020s Canadian films